INEC Pulls Down X Accounts Amid Digital Footprints of Amupitan's Partisan Tweets

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is deploying resources towards pulling down X accounts linked to the Chairman, Professor JOASH AMUPITAN. Professor AMUPITAN has been facing intense criticism, including calls for his resignation, following the unearthing of old Tweets that are sympathetic to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, during the 2023 elections. INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, LAWRENCE BAYODE, said the commission was also engaging third-party forensic experts and technology to look into the matter. Speaking further in an interview, LAWRENCE BAYODE said Professor AMUPITAN acted surprised when the information about an X handle bearing his name, as he seemed to have no knowledge about Twitter. Speaking further, LAWRENCE BAYODE said the Twitter scandal involving the INEC Chairman shows to what extend digital manipulations and misinformation can be used to target public figures and institutions. LAWRENCE BAYODE admitted that Professor AMUPITAN’s personal information, such as telephone number and email address, are in the public domain, but stopped shot of confirming whether the same linked to the controversial X account. However, another ICT specialist, GBENGA SESAN said INEC’s denial of the Chairman’s link to the X account falls flat, considering the scale of digital footprint in his name. SESAN who spoke in a separate interview, said he was forced to dig into the matter, using simple digital archiving tools, such as the Wayback Machine, which stores snapshots of web pages over time. Meanwhile; INEC Chairman’s claim of ignorance about an X account in his name has further intensified the controversy over his personal integrity and neutrality in the conduct of elections. A lawyer and public affairs commentator, EKEMINI UDIM said he was surprised about the INEC Chairman’s claim considering that he is saddled with the responsibility of deploying modern digital technology in the conduct of the elections. UDIM said there was need for INEC to do more than the denials in its press statement and comments by its ICT Director in clearing the partisan allegation against the Chairman as revealed in the X account linked to his name. At this point, EKEMINI UDIM said Professor JOASH OJO AMUPITAN should personally take up the responsibility of defending himself of the allegations, since other INEC officials may not know much about his past engagements before his appointment. He said the explanations so far have not made adequate clarifications about how Professor AMUPITAN’s telephone number and email became linked to the controversial X handle. Speaking further, EKEMINI UDIM said the position of the law in the person to be appointed as INEC Chairman stresses the need for a high level of integrity and nonpartisan disposition. On his party, an online newspaper publisher, EHI BRIAMOH, said while it was too early to aske Professor JOASH AMUPITAN to resign, the INEC Chairman had unnecessarily enmeshed himself in unnecessary controversies, including his position in the leadership crisis involving the African Democratic Congress, ADC.